Instructional time reviewed with 11th school closure

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Schools must look at how to use the remaining days in light of closures due to storms, says English Language School Board superintendent Cynthia Fleet. (CBC)

P.E.I. school principals are being asked to review planned activities for the remainder of the school year as weather forced the closure of schools for the fourth day in a row, for a total of 11 lost days.

Freezing rain is falling in western P.E.I. and is forecast for the rest of the province, causing unsafe road conditions.

English Language School Board superintendent Cynthia Fleet told CBC News Monday each school will have to decide if non-educational activities, such as field trips, should be cancelled.

She says time is built into the school year for these activities, but with 11 lost days many are over that allotted time.

"There is time built into the curriculum, three to four per cent in curriculum time, for local focus," said Fleet.

"We will begin by looking at how schools are going to use that local focus with the view of ensuring that whatever is required in the curriculum, the core curriculum outcomes, are covered by the end of the school year."

There are 181 instructional days in the school calendar, which makes for about seven days available for local activities.

Fleet said there is no plan right now to cancel the professional development day Friday but that is being reviewed.

Clarifications

It has been pointed out to us that two of the poll answers are identical. We have left it this way, so as not to delete any of the votes that have been cast. Also, Monday's storm closure was the 11th this year, the school board had initially said it was the 12th.